How the 1973 oil shock boosted bicycle sales

Could the latest fuel price hikes push consumers to use alternative means of transport?

In any case, this is what happened in 1973, during the oil shock which marked the death knell of the “glorious thirties” in France: many French people thus (temporarily) put their cars in the garage… and took out their bicycles!

Better for health and “trendy for protesters”

"To something misfortune is good", we exclaimed then, seeing in this dynamic a way to save money and "stay young and beautiful", according to a Sunday cyclist interviewed by television.

Some commentators saw in this phenomenon “a weapon of protest for the enemies of industrial society”.

The fact remains that the bicycle market took an incredible flight on this occasion, since national production of one million pieces in 1968 rose to 2.3 million in 1973 alone!

Discover this sudden vogue for two-wheelers in this video from our partner Brut.

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